5 Exercises Missing From Your Core Workout

All athletes love to train their core, but not everyone trains their core efficiently. Performing exercises like Sit-Ups and Leg Lifts is a waste of time since they don't do much to improve performance. (Find more ways to train your core.)

Yes, you can get some results from those classic movements. But to gain true performance benefits, you need to train your core in an athletic way. Add these five exercises to your core workouts to both look and perform better.

L-Sit

This classic gymnastic move challenges your entire upper body as well as your core. Start by performing it with benches or boxes, and progress to parallel bars, a suspension trainer, rings or the ground.

Sets/Duration: 1-2x30-60 seconds

AB Rocker

When I show people this exercise, they always think it looks easy. In fact, it's very difficult. Although you are holding a position, your core will be on fire. This is a great way to teach your core to engage and stabilize against movement.

Sets/Duration: 1-2x30-60 seconds

Pallof Press

There's not much movement in this exercise, and that's intentional. It's all about resisting rotation to keep your core strong and balanced when transferring energy from your lower to your upper body, or when absorbing contact. For an extra challenge, add manual resistance with a partner. Have your partner stand at the anchor point and pull and release the band.

Sets/Reps: 1-2x10 each side

Hanging Knee Raise/Toes To Bar

This is a great exercise to target the core, but it also strengthens your grip at the same time. To ensure that you challenge your grip strength, do not let go of the bar until your set is finished.

Sets/Reps: 1-2x12

Pulsing Side Plank

This exercise takes the classic Side Plank to another level. It offers a big strength boost to the obliques, while also targeting the glutes and quads when you maintain a straight line. For an additional challenge, hold a traditional Side Plank for 15 seconds after your last rep.

Bill DeLongis
- Bill DeLongis, CSCS, is the assistant director of speed, strength and conditioning at Stony Brook University, where he works with baseball, volleyball, men's lacrosse, women's basketball and football. He is the former head strength and conditioning coach at Converse College (Spartanburg, S.C.), where
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